This is my first year playing so yeah obviously it's just starting to learn the game for me

I'm interested to hear from those who have been playing more than a year or two, how much and what you have improved this last year in your pool game

Whilst i am new to Pool, there are other endeavours (namely Tennis, Taekwondo and running) which i have done for several years and at various times have put high levels of effort into becoming the best i possibly can be at.

We all know about the Law of diminishing returns. You start off and improve rapidly then as you get to a higher level it takes more and more effort for small gains. With running i went from doing 10K in around 48 minutes to doing it in 38 minutes fairly easily. To get to my PB which is 35 mins 15 seconds, it took a hell of a lot of work ! Hill work, interval training, ultra long runs, track work , using a heart rate monitor and keeping records etc etc

with Pool, there seem to be so many things to practice. I've getting my own table in a month. There are many things i've never even practised yet, from kicking and banking to safety play to breaking to really getting stuck into cue ball positioning drills.

I can already hold my own with players who have been playing for years so i do expect to be able to improve to be able to beat them.

I have used my experience learning other things to shorten my learning curve with Pool and i do think it is working (e.g. i know the importance of a sound fundamentals so am making sure i have a good solid consistent stroke that is pretty much down pat before going onto more advanced skills, in TKD i remember practising my spinning kick early on when really i should have focused more on my turning and back kick, the two basic kicks and getting them right first,the equivalent in Pool would be working on your jump and masse shots when you don't have a good basic stroke!)

anyway thanx for all replies

ObeOne

10-11-2002, 04:13 PM

I have also been playing for only 1 year. My game has improved dramatically. Just recently something 'clicked' in my head and I can now run out from the break about 1 out of 5 racks. The most I've run in a row is 3. Lately I've been working on perfecting my stroke and stance, and some recent modifications to my stance/stroke have really helped my accuracy.

--Mike

Cueless Joey

10-11-2002, 05:31 PM

If you can run out 20% of the time from the break, you ought to turn pro.

nAz

10-11-2002, 06:01 PM

i was thinking the same thing at the rate he has progressed in another year he should be running out 50 or more % of the time.
thats fantastic you should really practice dude you really can go pro at that rate.

Cueless Joey

10-11-2002, 06:16 PM

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote: nAz:</font><hr> i was thinking the same thing at the rate he has progressed in another year he should be running out 50 or more % of the time.
thats fantastic you should really practice dude you really can go pro at that rate. <hr></blockquote>
He should turn pro but I have no idea why anyone would tinker with his mechanics if he breaks and runs out 20% of the time. I would guess he easily beats the 9-ball ghost.
But, if he's only been playing for one year, he must be really gifted.

nAz

10-11-2002, 06:52 PM

lol im jealous been playing almost 2 1/2 years and i can barely run 3 balls!!

why couldnt i be gifted like that!

ObeOne

10-11-2002, 07:49 PM

I don't think I'm quite good enough to go pro. This is on a 7 foot table. The pool hall near me only has two 9 foot tables, and my table at home is a 7 foot (Brunswick). Also, I'm only 17 and cash is pretty tight for going to the pool hall all the time, so I don't usually get to play on the 9 foot table.

I have played almost every day since I got my table last december, and have been completely obsessed. The reason I couldn't run out from the break very often before was for three reasons:
-uncontrolled break
-I was only thinking one ball ahead, rather than 2 or 3.
-imperfect stroke
In the past month I have nearly tackled these problems, except for my stroke which I am still working on. It's frustrating on my table because unless you hit extremely low with perfect follow-through the cloth won't 'bite'. I'm saving up for simonis ;-).

Anyhow, enough rambling.

--Mike

Barbara

10-11-2002, 08:00 PM

Well I'm putting taps on my pool playing shoes so that the whole player field will defintiely hear my "Tourney-Two-Step Bow-Out" dance!!

I've been playing for about 10 years now and throughout that time I've had times of improvement and times where I thought I'd gotten worse. I too got really good after my first year or so and went on to play in tournaments and gamble on the road. Gambling was the first real step up in my play. It wasn't so much from a decision making standpoint so much as the ability to focus and not miss shots that you shouldn't miss. The largest step up recently has been from playing exclusively on the big table. I came from the midwest where bar table 9 ball is huge. Then I went to Texas, Georgia, and now Japan and everything is on the big table now and I've noticed significant improvements in my game because of it. The big box forces you to stay at a higher level of concentration. Pockets are tighter, margin for error smaller. Also, with the larger distance to your object ball, you CAN'T cheat your stroke, ever. I'd have to say the most important step along the way has been the influence of other people. Whether it's getting your head beat in by some world beater or just some good conversation with an experienced pro. Surrounding yourself with fantastic players is one of the best ways to become one of them.

Brent

10-12-2002, 03:19 AM

Nice to hear that Im not the only n00b in this forum with my 1.5 year experience. Anyway in the last year I learned all that what I know now. Its not much but I think its something....something to build on. I cant say that I can run the rack in 20% of the times..thats madness, but I can feel that Im learning new useful things everytime and that Im progressing.

Brent from Estonia

Kato

10-12-2002, 05:54 AM

After 7 years of playing I can only think now that about 99% of this game is 110% mental. When my focus is on, I play pretty good. When I'm thinking about grocery shopping, the girl over my left shoulder, work, or whether or not I turned the stove off I play like a guy who can play but doesn't have his brain in gear. The biggest thing is PACE, ask Voodoo. Control your pace, control the game, control the score.

Kato

10-12-2002, 07:39 AM

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote: bigbro6060:</font><hr> This is my first year playing so yeah obviously it's just starting to learn the game for me

I'm interested to hear from those who have been playing more than a year or two, how much and what you have improved this last year in your pool game

Whilst i am new to Pool, there are other endeavours (namely Tennis, Taekwondo and running) which i have done for several years and at various times have put high levels of effort into becoming the best i possibly can be at.

We all know about the Law of diminishing returns. You start off and improve rapidly then as you get to a higher level it takes more and more effort for small gains. With running i went from doing 10K in around 48 minutes to doing it in 38 minutes fairly easily. To get to my PB which is 35 mins 15 seconds, it took a hell of a lot of work ! Hill work, interval training, ultra long runs, track work , using a heart rate monitor and keeping records etc etc

with Pool, there seem to be so many things to practice. I've getting my own table in a month. There are many things i've never even practised yet, from kicking and banking to safety play to breaking to really getting stuck into cue ball positioning drills.

I can already hold my own with players who have been playing for years so i do expect to be able to improve to be able to beat them.

I have used my experience learning other things to shorten my learning curve with Pool and i do think it is working (e.g. i know the importance of a sound fundamentals so am making sure i have a good solid consistent stroke that is pretty much down pat before going onto more advanced skills, in TKD i remember practising my spinning kick early on when really i should have focused more on my turning and back kick, the two basic kicks and getting them right first,the equivalent in Pool would be working on your jump and masse shots when you don't have a good basic stroke!)

anyway thanx for all replies
<hr></blockquote>

Uh.. I've been a decent player for the last year or so, but I've improved alot, and continue to improve.. the thing is, after things slow down in the improvement area, it's only because it's harder to SEE the difference, which is why alot of people quit or slow down.. they don't SEE the results, and the results aren't a night and day thing like when you first started and couldn't make 2 balls in a row, and after a year you can get the cueball to go almost where you need it.

After mastering the cueball and bank shots and other stuff, work diligently on safety play, as that is your only weapon against other people who have been practicing as much as you. Putting them behind the ball, or letting them have a window is usually the difference between winning and losing a game or match.. and even if they can't make a shot, letting them "see" their ball will enable them to take a free shot at leaving YOU safe instead.

anyways.. enough rambling for me. /ccboard/images/icons/smile.gif

rackmup

10-12-2002, 10:48 AM

My racking skills are "second-to-none".

Regards,

Ken

Rod

10-13-2002, 01:42 AM

Quote Bigbro,"the equivalent in Pool would be working on your jump and masse shots when you don't have a good basic stroke!)"

Yep I agree with you, stick with what makes you a better player, the hard core basics. Learn your way around the rails before getting into that hoppy stuff, you'll be glad you did in the long run.

Now me I haven't improved, I'm going downhill, the ship is sinking with no land in sight and I can't swim. It's terrible I'll tell ya, I need weight from everybody! Did that sound convincing? Well if not I've got more sad tales. I went into a room last week, the gal says take table 5. I say which one is 5. She says the one with the big 5 on the side. I say I can't see the 5. She says how do you expect to play pool. I say I've memorized where the pockets are, come to find out the pockets ain't exactly where I thought they were, she was right. I get no reeespect. Now where's my cane and that dumb dog that steers me into cars!